Fragility hip fractures in the COVID-19 pandemic: A local experience in the United Kingdom.
Jawaad Sheikh Saleem, Muhammad Ali Fazal
PMID 33468431WHAT IT FOUND
In 34 older hip fracture patients during UK lockdown, 48% were operated within 36 hours and 30-day mortality was 20%; timing was not significantly linked to stay or death.
Key findings
01Of 34 patients, 31 were operated on, 3 died before surgery, and 30-day mortality from presentation was 20%.
0248% of patients were operated on within 36 hours, and the median time from presentation to operation was 2 days.
03Regression analysis found no significant relationship between operating within 36 hours or days to operation and length of stay or mortality.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study analysed 34 patients at one hospital, so the results are fragile and may not apply elsewhere. It was retrospective, so the team depended on records that were already written. A patient was excluded because admission documentation could not be found. For repatriated patients, only discharge summaries and operation notes were available, making the events leading to death hard to identify. The small sample size may explain why relationships between timing and outcomes did not reach statistical significance.
Declared interests
The authors declared no known conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the 20% mortality as proof that delayed surgery caused death. The regression found no significant relationship between timing and mortality, and the reported causes of death included possible or confirmed COVID, acute coronary syndrome and general decline.